1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to ridge cap roof ventilators folded from a blank of corrugated plastic sheet material having two vent parts and an intermediate top panel, and particularly to such an assembled roof ventilator that is rolled into a spiral or coiled configuration.
2. Discussion of the Prior Art
The art is relatively well defined relating to ridge cap roof ventilators fabricated from corrugated plastic sheet material and folded to form two vent parts disposed on opposing sides of an opening in a roof peak and an intermediate top panel.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,803,813 to Fiterman and U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,04,041 and 5,331,783 to Kasner describe various methods for scoring, folding, and routing blanks of corrugated plastic sheet material to form the roof vents, as well as their method of installation and use.
These folded roof ventilators and similar designs were traditionally made and sold in lengths of approximately four feet. However, a hinged double-length roof vent was developed as disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,304,095 to Morris which enhanced the shipping and installation of such roof vents.
In comparison, other types of highly flexible roof covering products such as shingles, tar paper, and some roof ventilation products fabricated from open celled foam or other pliable materials are distributed in roll form, which permits longer lengths of product to be installed in one operation without transitions, and eliminates some potentially undesirable features such as seams or gaps.
U.S. patent application Ser. No. 08/570,656 filed on Dec. 11, 1995 discloses a multi-layer, corrugated plastic ridge cap roof ventilator having two opposing vent parts (of the type shown in the Fiterman '813, Morris '095, and Kasner '041 and '783 patents) which is fabricated from a cut and scored blank of double-faced corrugated plastic sheet material that is rolled into a spiral configuration and secured for shipping. The blank is subsequently unrolled, and the scored panels are sequentially folded and secured to the roof to form the opposing vent parts during installation. The roof vent embodiments and fabrication process described in this application increases manufacturing efficiency and substantially reduces waste from trimming and fitting shorter sections of 4' or 8' roof vents, however the process of folding and fastening the roof vents is still time consuming for the installers, and the rolled blanks can sometimes be difficult to carry or handle when climbing a ladder or in windy conditions due to their respective length and width.
It may be appreciated that those skilled in the art have heretofore been required to select between the advantages of assembled multi-layer double-faced corrugated plastic roof ventilators which cannot be rolled, rolled roofing products which do not provide the advantages of a multilayer double-faced corrugated plastic product, or additional steps which must be taken during installation to convert a rolled blank of double-faced corrugated plastic sheet material into an assembled multi-layer roof ventilator.